Relaxation of Restrictions, Part XII *Read OP For Mod Warnings*

Schools, schools and schools. If Government dont **** themselves and open as planned we will be in the game well and truly. If they arent opened then this will just be prolonged. Pubs should open fully at this stage too. A mild cold at 50k cases a day wont over run even our terrible health service.

Fascinating, the focus this morning on news shows is absenteeism due to self isolating rules, like everything else to date, did No one actually see this coming with such enormous case numbers 🤔 seems a little odd, crying about this now, reducing isolation days from 10 to 7 or five days is not going to resolve this issue quickly nor is the lack of PCR testing.

You know as well as I do though that the "science" insofar as our Government and NPHET goes ranges between wild speculation based on suspect/selective modelling, and political expediency.

O, I do indeed, just find it extraordinary that absenteeism only being discussed now, UK have been struggling for weeks with this isdue. It could, I suppose be argued if so many have covid now and symptoms appear to be extremely mild why are isolation rules required or indeed when or will they ever end.

The Indo are covering it as the top headline at the moment but the main thing to take from the article really is the ongoing mixed messaging from Government and NPHET/HSE representatives.

One side says one thing but it's almost immediately contradicted by the other.. No wonder people are confused/ignoring whatever the message is SUPPOSED to be. This isn't helped by lazy journalists who just edit older articles with the latest "scoop" but leave the outdated details further down - small wonder people read very little beyond the headline or first few paragraphs.

Micheal won't want to make a decision he can be held to. Tony has an anti-alcohol agenda to push so will be calling for more restrictions on socialising. The media are making a fortune either way so will cover every comment with a lot of opinion of their own, so by the time we get to the next cabinet meeting we'll have had every option from 2km lockdown to a free for all being suggested.

In reality (as I said last year) ultimately it'll be the economic impact that makes the final decision. There will be a lot of advice muddied to make people think it's a requirement, but in the end people will be left to decide for themselves.

Also maddening that journalists are using such tiny numbers to form a pretty shaky conclusion. Based on previous HSE efforts to recruit medical staff it's not at all easy and getting admin is as easy as buying the IT!

We must protect the management it would seem 😉

Hard to see how anyone can argue with that given that Government themselves (however briefly) tried to gag NPHET's press commentary because of the mixed messaging and pressure it was putting on Cabinet decisions.

The Gag backfired very quickly WHEN Government realised they needed cover for any decisions made, they are only now too delighted for CMO to shake his stick and wag his finger whilst they hide in their Bunkers.

Couldn't agree more 👍

Technology an amazing thing 😁 now if there was away to magically ignore other things 😂

Ssssshh, just in case Paul Reid checking in 😉

Good point. I only put people on the ignore list who get above a certain threshhold of irritability by persistant behaviour. Small, off target posts by others are ignored by default. I sometimes leave reactions to my posts unanswered because i dont see the point in doing so. I do when i feel the discussion might lead to something, like new insights but that is rarely the case. I also try to stop myself correcting other peoples' posts that have wrong information, unsuccesfully i might add to my detriment. It often turns personal..

Yes, my own list now almost full from other Threads, it's astonishing how personal posters get when they disagree with an opinion that differs from them. Greying out and ignoring individuals strangely gratifying, especially when you remind them they are so to speak 😉

Since this pandemic started this mantra has been put out and been repeated numerous times but it was never proven true. The mantra that only a full suppression strategy has any hope of protecting the more vulnerable. But this is as much an assumption as anything. The only thing it has going for itself is that appears less risky - so its being labelled 'safer' and being waved around like a virtue banner.

But so far there is little proof of correlation between strategies and numbers and now we have Omicron. Me personally i believe there is still a lot we dont understand about the dynamics of all this but one thing the experts seem to agree on is that it cannot be stopped short of welding people into their homes.

Looking at it that way there seems to be no more middle ground left. The choices left in the open are the 'extreme' ones. Full lockdown on one side or let it run on the other. With what we're seeing form Omicron lockdown would not only be massive overkill and total madness IMO but it will still get to the vulnerable and also there would simply be no longer the public support for it. We're all worn out.

We're vaxxed, we're bolstered, we have what appears to be a much milder strain. We just have to cut our losses and move on. If not now I dont know when we ever will. Just my opinion of course.